One is All
by lindsey and marie enterprises
Summary: After Mustang kills Lust, Father decides to create a replacement. Unfortunately, she doesn't turn out quite as planned. Now, there are two questions on everybody's minds: who's side is she on? And can anyone trust a Homunculus? By Lindsey.
1. Chapter 1

**_Author's Note: Yeah, I know I should be updating my other stories...but this bunny wouldn't go away! I had to let it out! Please know that I haven't abandoned any of them; I will make more updates very soon. And now, after that short mess-_**

 ** _WHO ARE YOU CALLING TINY BEANSPROUT?!_**

 ** _Shut up, Ed! Note: This begins after_ Death of the Undying, _for obvious reasons. Disclaimer: I do not own FMA. If I did, we'd still have HUGHES AND NINA. Ahem. On with the show!_**

 **The Virtuous**

Waking up the first time was strange. Her body felt odd around her, like it was too heavy, too confining. She could barely move her arms; they felt like lumps of lead attached to an enormous chunk of rock that formed her torso. Slowly, however, she managed to sit up. Inky black hair as straight as a board fell into her face. She reached up and brushed it aside with clumsy fingers, nearly poking herself in the eye in the process.

That's when she realized she was naked. Instinctively, she brought her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs. Moving was becoming easier now that she was growing used to this new form. What had she been before? She tried to remember, but all that came to her mind was a confused jumble of floating, falling, flowing…and screaming. A terrible keening chaos formed by many thousands of voices had raged around her like a storm, and she had been part of it.

"Oh, goody, you're awake!" a voice said happily. She glanced around, startled. A short, bald, fat man with arms that seemed much too long for him was standing a few feet away from her. He had a silly grin plastered on his face, and he was staring at her with piggy eyes sunk deep into his skull. "My name is Gluttony, and you're my new sister!"

She tilted her head to the side curiously. "Sister?" she repeated, and she gasped. She hadn't heard her voice before, at least not properly. When she was with the others, she had barely been able to hear herself, mixed in with the multitude of others as she had been. She searched her memory, trying to see if she knew what "sister" meant.

A vague picture formed in her head: there was a group of people…a family, yes, that was the word. There was a man and a woman, and a boy, and also a girl. Yes, the girl, she had two names: Sister, and Daughter, too. They all had two names; the man was "Father" and "Husband." The woman…she was called "Mother" and "Wife." And the boy…"Son" and finally…

She smiled at Gluttony. "Brother!" she proclaimed happily, pointing at him. She quickly drew her hand back when she remembered her unclothed state. "Oh, um…can I have some clothes, please?"

Gluttony's grin had grown—if possible—even bigger when she had called him "brother." Now, however, his expression turned apologetic. "Oh, sure! Here." He pulled a large bundle of black cloth from the floor and set them on the table beside her (for she now realized that was what she was currently sitting on.) However, once Gluttony had done that, he just stood there, smiling.

She blushed and asked politely, "Could…I have some privacy…please?" He nodded and skipped merrily out the door, leaving her alone. Slowly, she unfolded herself and got down onto the floor, wincing at the cold stone beneath her bare feet.

Methodically, she pulled out each article of clothing, examining it. The underclothing was the easy part; it was the outer garments which presented the hard choice. Nearly everything revealed more of her than she was comfortable with. Nearly everything fell too low on her chest or too high on her legs, and she felt too exposed and vulnerable. Finally, however, she managed to find something she liked: a black sleeveless dress made of a lacey material with a solid black lining. It had a modest neckline and fell to her mid-thigh. A thin black ribbon wrapped around the middle like a belt. She found a pile of shoes on the floor next to the table and selected a pair of knee-high black riding boots.

A knock at the door made her whirl around, startled. "Are you almost done? Father wants to meet you," Gluttony's voice called from the other side of the thick iron door.

She sighed and called out, "I'm coming, Brother!" Taking a deep, shuddering breath, she straightened her back, held her chin up, and strode out the door. The room she found herself in was large, with a ceiling so high she couldn't even see it through the inky blackness above her. There were two more people in the room with Gluttony. One had long hair that hung down in a spiky fringe around his body, and the other…

For some reason, she was filled with the sudden desire to run. She didn't know where she would go, she just wanted to get away from the pale man in the metal chair…no, throne, that was it. It was made of pipe lines, but it was clearly meant to resemble a seat of power. But Gluttony came and took her hand, smiling, and lead her closer to the man in the throne. His skin was unnaturally white, and his blond hair and beard only added to his sickly appearance.

He looked at her with an appraising expression, but he said nothing. The one with the long hair sent a smirk and a casual wave in her direction. "Hi, there! Name's Envy, one of your other brothers."

Despite the fear she still felt in the presence of the pale man—whom she now realized must be the one Gluttony had called "Father"—she smiled at Envy. "It's nice to meet you, brother," she answered softly.

"Look at me, child," a voice commanded. She tensed and slowly turned towards the other man. He was leaning forward in his seat, looking more interested in her. "Do you know who I am?"

She nodded once. "Yes. You are Father," she answered respectfully. This answer clearly pleased him, because he gave her…it wasn't a full smile, but the corners of his mouth turned up. Suddenly, she realized that no one here knew her name, and come to think of it, neither did she. She searched through her memory, trying to find it. It took a moment, but finally, she settled on one that seemed to feel just right.

"My name is Chastity, Father," she offered. "Chastity the Virtuous."

Chastity wasn't sure what she'd done wrong, but clearly she'd done something. Father frowned, almost scowling at her, and he leaned back in his seat, resting the side of his face on a fist.

Quickly, she backtracked. "I'm sorry, Father! What did I do? I won't do it again, I promise! I'm sorry, Father, I'm so sorry!" Chastity wasn't quite sure what she was supposed to be sorry for, but she _was_ sorry that she'd upset her father just moments after meeting him.

Father sighed, shaking his head. "I was a fool," he said, talking more to himself than to the others. "I should have realized that without Lust's Stone, it would be impossible to remake her. Still, without experimentation, one never learns… Ah, well, this experiment was a failure. I now know that without the original Stone, I cannot recreate any of my children."

Chastity's head was spinning. Who was Lust? And what was this Stone he kept talking about? She almost dared to ask, but Father's next words caused the question to die in her throat.

"Gluttony, you may eat her." She gasped, turning to Gluttony, who was staring at her hungrily.

"What?" Chastity cried, backing slowly away from Gluttony. "No, please! Father, what did I do? Tell me, please!" she begged. Father said nothing. She turned back to Gluttony, who was now advancing towards her. "Gluttony. Brother. Don't do this. Brother, please, don't! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

All of a sudden, Gluttony stopped, looking around in confusion. Envy and Father were doing the same. "Huh? Where did she go? I didn't even get one bite!"

Chastity didn't know what was going on until she happened to look down. Where she should have seen her body, she saw…nothing.

Without thinking, she took off running down the tunnel she had been backing towards. She could hear Envy and Gluttony shouting, but she paid no heed. All Chastity could do was run, and keep running, and never stop until she found what she was looking for. Until she found the light.

 ** _Author's Note Part 2: So, what'd you think? Like it? Hate it? Tell me with reviews! I live for reviews! Flames will be swallowed by Gluttony._**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note: I apologize for the long wait, but I have been completely slammed with work! Man, sometimes I really hate college. Anyway, you've all been waiting very patiently for the next installment, so I shall reward you with a long one. Enjoy! Oh, one final point: this chapter takes place during the episode "Father Before the Grave", so no contact with the Elrics yet.**_

She ran. And ran. And ran. Her legs were aching, her lungs were on fire, but still she ran. She had no idea if Envy and Gluttony were after her, but Chastity didn't dare stop long enough to even look behind her. It was only after about a half hour of running that she was forced to stop, exhausted.

Chastity found a sheltered nook against a wall and sat down, her knees drawn up to her chest. She was slightly surprised to find that she wasn't sweating, but more surprised that she even knew what sweating _was_. Chastity shook her head; apparently, the longer she spent in this body, the more she knew about it…or remembered about it.

Yes, even though she could only clearly recall the tempest of souls about her, she did find the sensation of having a body familiar. Once she had caught her breath, Chastity looked around. She was seated against an enormous white stone wall, and she seemed to be a little outside the city proper—more in the suburbs. An iron gate interrupted the wall about twenty meters away from her.

Slowly, Chastity stood and strode towards it. Peeking through the gate, she gasped in astonishment. Inside the wall was a gorgeous lawn, with a path leading from the gate to a beautiful fountain, and beyond that, a truly monumental mansion. Father's throne room could have fit in there ten times! She was so mesmerized, in fact, that she didn't even realize that she was no longer invisible.

"And who might you be?" Chastity whirled around, crouching in a defensive position. She quickly realized that fighting would no doubt be futile, however, for before her stood a giant of a man, nearly twice her height (though, to be fair, she was quite petite). He had an impressive blond mustache and a curl of blond hair just above his forehead, but was otherwise completely bald.

Remembering that he'd asked her a question, she swallowed tightly and replied hesitantly, "Chastity, sir."

He looked her up and down, taking in her appearance. "I'm Major Alex Louis Armstrong, the Strong Arm Alchemist," he said, bowing respectfully. "Are you in need of assistance?" Chastity looked down at herself for the first time and realized that she was in quite a state: she was completely filthy from running through the sewers. Her hair, once straight and smooth, was now frizzed and tangled.

She gazed up at him pleadingly. "Please," she begged. "I need somewhere safe. Will you help me?"

Alex's moustache lifted in what she assumed was a smile, since his mouth was completely obscured. "Of course," he answered gently. "Fortunately, this humble estate happens to be my home. Why don't you come inside?"

Chastity couldn't believe her ears. This magnificent place was his home?! She couldn't have asked for better luck! And this man was a State Alchemist, judging by the uniform. Surely, with him for protection, she'd be safe.

As they walked down the long path to the house, Chastity's head constantly swiveled around, trying to take in everything at once. Everything was absolutely gorgeous.

The Major didn't say anything, merely observing the strange woman. She seemed slightly unsteady on her feet, like she wasn't used to using them. Not only was she filthy, she stank like the sewers, though curiously, her dress and boots seemed to be very well made.

It was her eyes that were most curious. They were a rich violet color that almost seemed to glow. Her skin was also unnaturally pale, as if she had never seen the sunlight before. Her body appeared small and delicate, but he could see the lean, hardened muscles on her bare arms. No doubt about it, this Chastity was a conundrum.

"So, Chastity," Alex rumbled, "where are you from?"

Chastity looked at him, her eyes betraying the slightest hint of nervousness. "Oh, um…I'm from out west," she finally replied.

Alex was quiet for a moment. "Anywhere near the town of Resembool?" he inquired, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

She nodded emphatically, smiling at him. "Yes, very near it!" she replied. That was her first mistake. Alex rounded upon her, towering nearly a foot over her head and glaring down at the woman dangerously.

"Resembool is in the East," he corrected, fixing her with a steely gaze. She shrank under his stare, terrified. Alex pulled a slightly crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket and showed it to her. It was an image of a winged serpent consuming its own tail—the uroboros. "Does this symbol mean anything to you? I suggest you answer carefully."

Chastity studied the picture for a moment. "Yes, it does," she finally answered. "My brothers have that symbol tattooed on them, and so do I—on my foot. How do you—?" Her question was cut off as Alex's fist connected with her abdomen, bringing her to her knees. She let out a strangled noise as Chastity felt two of her ribs cave under the blow.

Suddenly, there was a flash of red light and the sound of crackling energy. Within seconds, the pain was gone. Chastity looked up to see Alex preparing to land another blow. She rolled out of the way, turning invisible as she did so.

"Why are you doing this?!" she cried, constantly moving so he wouldn't be able to track her voice. "I've done nothing to you!"

"One of your kind put two good friends of mine in the hospital," Alex growled. "You Homunculi are nothing but monsters."

Now Chastity understood. There were more, and like Envy and Gluttony, they weren't friendly. "I'm not like the others, I swear!" she called, becoming visible to illustrate her point. "They're trying to kill me, too. I needed a safe place to get away from them. Please, I promise I mean you no harm."

Alex surveyed her with a critical eye. He strode forward, seized her by the arm, and began leading her away from the house. She didn't struggle. The only thing Chastity did was ask where they were going.

"To see those friends I mentioned," he answered. "I'll let them decide what to do with you."

 _ **Author's Note: Yes, I know Armstrong took Ed back to Resembool, but I'll just stay he immediately hopped a train back to Central. It's fanfiction; I'm allowed to tweak a few things.**_


End file.
